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Safe Driving
Power assistance:
When the engine is not running, both
the service brake and the steering are
w ithout power assistance. Under
these circum stances, a much greater
effort is necessary to steer or stop
the vehicle.
Tires:
Do not allow your tires to wear down
too far. With less than approx.
3 mm/t/8 in of tread, the antiskid
properties on a wet road fall off
sharply.
Depending upon the weather an d /o r
road pavement, the traction varies
widely.
Specified tire pressures m ust be
maintained. This applies particularly if
the tires are subjected to high loads
(e.g. high speeds, heavy loads, high
or low ambient tem peratures).
Aquaplaning:
Depending on the depth of the water
layer on the road, aquaplaning may
occur, even at low speeds. Avoid
50
track grooves in the road and apply
brakes cautiously in the rain.
Tire frictio n:
A given speed at which a vehicle
driven on dry roads can still be fully
controlled m ust be reduced when the
same vehicle is to be driven safely on
a w et or icy road.
You should pay particular attention to
the condition of the road as soon as
the prevailing tem peratures fall close
to the freezing point.
If ice has form ed on the road tire
traction will be substantially reduced.
Under such weather conditions, drive,
steer, accelerate and brake particu
larly carefully.
We recom m end M + S radial-ply tires
fo r the cold season. On packed snow,
they can reduce your stopping dis
tance as compared with summer
tires. S topping distance, however, is
nevertheless considerably greater
than when the road is w et or dry.
Brakes:
When driving down long and steep
declines, relieve the brakes by shift
ing into " S" or " L". This prevents
overheating of the brakes and
reduces brake pad wear.
A fter hard braking it is advisable to
drive on fo r some time so the air
stream will cool down the brakes
faster.
When driving in heavy rain fo r some
tim e w ithout applying the brakes, the
firs t braking action may be somewhat
reduced and increased pedal pres
sure may be necessary. For this
reason, stay further away from a
vehicle in front.
The condition of the parking brake
system is checked each tim e the car
is in the shop fo r maintenance.
Between maintenance checks it is a
good practice to apply the parking
brake once or twice while driving at
approxim ately 50 km /h/30 mph on a
dry road. A pply brake lightly until a
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